LIZ PURCELLhttp://www.lizpurcell.com
freelance writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Francisco State UniversityMon, 13 Aug 2018 00:11:57 +0000en-UShourly1Family – Love Them and Let Them Go, They’ll Thank You Laterhttp://www.lizpurcell.com/family-love-them-and-let-them-go-theyll-thank-you-later/
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 00:11:57 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/family-love-them-and-let-them-go-theyll-thank-you-later/Family members are wonderful, colorful, and a reflection, gauge or a barometer of a small peek into the window of how our thoughts and judgments formulated into the truths that we live by and reveal how we calculate our responses and reactions to our life challenges. That is one of the key elements in any […]

Family members are wonderful, colorful, and a reflection, gauge or a barometer of a small peek into the window of how our thoughts and judgments formulated into the truths that we live by and reveal how we calculate our responses and reactions to our life challenges. That is one of the key elements in any interpersonal relationship, first of all, there are the emotive responses and the logical responses that are all part of the human experience. We are all innately responding to factors in our environment whether we realize it or not. Conditioning and environment play key factors in our responses and reactions to life events, though much of the judgment is inner chatter or discussion that resonates with what we believe to be true, lawful, or what resonates with our sense of justice.

We did not choose our parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles or cousins, you get the picture? Now if only they would get it too! This is neither a critique or a judgement, simply an assessment brought to light.

I love my family, there’s no discounting that; I would do anything in my power to assist anyone of them, as I already have. Many, many, many times too many to publicly admit; it’s NOT the admitting that’s brings about the most pain, it’s that it continues to leave my emotional tank on,”E.” I still am not accepted as an individual that plays by different thoughts of logic, reasoning and most often sought mainly for problem-solving or guidance.* Even the giver of emotional time and investment of others is deserving of receiving and giving something more concrete and valuable; reciprocal appreciation. I give to them from my heart; listen, engage, and understand even if I do not agree, I show empathy and controlled responses before reacting in a negative or judgmental way. It’s quite the paradox to grow up and still be deemed as young in thought or not viewed to full adulthood. It’s actually both disheartening and discouraging.

It’s not in the giving, that I am looking for their love, it’s in the gift of giving; in the stretching of my hand; in the hope to receive empathy, peace and love back; that is the dilemma for me at-hand, not be shown respect of thought, love and affection;* I now choose to change the pattern for my health and for theirs as well!

The issue is always, what will they expect for me to do next? I wish them well, and I gotta let them go for a little while, till I get stronger or till they understand that life is to be lived and enjoyed by all and that includes a life of peaceful living for me as well as for them! It’s okay to take a break from the family dynamic, at least until you have had time to regroup and console yourself with productive counseling and rebuilding relationship structures and dynamics. Not an easy feat, by any means, though the return can be amazing!

Foster healthy relationships for yourself and for your loved ones to understand that history has already happened and it is in the electricity or static energy that we need to fix our current reality: Just like an electrical current, there is energy, submission, an ultimate power source,(God),working with our family, the same applies to you and me, our family can be an assistant power source, or a missing link, if that’s how they choose to think.

Family is beautiful and like kryptonite is to Superman, a very strong man, though very susceptible to outer energy, beyond his super-human strength, massive physical statue and ability to overcome obstacles. After all Superman was a man too! He hurt, felt sad, needed empathy and compassion, not that there’s anything wrong with that. If we remember from the movies, Superman sought comfort and guidance from his family, during crucial times when he needed support and guidance. His parents left messages behind knowing of his need for family strength and counseling- they supported him even after death. Can you imagine if more families did that?

We all need to feel loved and appreciated, no matter how strong we are expected to appeal or appear to family and friends, we are all deserving of love and appreciation. After you return from taking a family break, your loving family will be happy and thank you immensely, content to no end, that you showed yourself worthy of time alone, and did something healthy for yourself. They will be glad that you took time to get to know yourself better making you a happier person, ready to explore new adventures!

Love your family, and if you can, love mine too, I know that I do!!!

I enjoy learning from you and from others offering me knowledge continuously!

]]>Academic Writing Versus Popular Writinghttp://www.lizpurcell.com/academic-writing-versus-popular-writing/
Fri, 10 Aug 2018 11:09:20 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/academic-writing-versus-popular-writing/Casual writing in the popular mainstream style is usually very different from the type required in academic settings. One is largely loose and informal, while the other is more conventional and strict. Whenever you write in either style, being mindful of these differences is necessary to keep the material consistent throughout its course. Contractions. In […]

Casual writing in the popular mainstream style is usually very different from the type required in academic settings. One is largely loose and informal, while the other is more conventional and strict. Whenever you write in either style, being mindful of these differences is necessary to keep the material consistent throughout its course.

Contractions. In academic writing, you need to spell out words; in informal writing, you’re free to use common contractions.

Technical terms. In academic writing, the use of technical terms is expected, provided you offer up an accompanying running definition; in popular writing, the use of technical terms should be kept to a minimum, with an in-depth explanation every time.

Groupspeak. In academic writing, you should use “we” when explaining technical terms; during informal use, using specific names (as well as referring to yourself in the first person) are more acceptable.

Abstractions. In academic work, you’re encouraged to emphasize abstractions, with no need for an in-depth explanation; in popular writing, any mention of high concepts should be accompanied with plenty of examples and simplified diagrams.

Passive voice. Using passive voice is actually advisable for academic writing in some cases (when trying to demonstrate that other scientists can accomplish the same results, for instance); in popular writing, passive verbs should be avoided like the plague.

Confidence. In academic writing, you are advised to state your points forcefully, in as succinct a manner as you can; for less-stringent writing, you should hold back on the self-assured statement, showing empathy for the readers’ potential struggle with it.

Most of the best writing software around integrate a facility to check for adherence to formal writing standards. Make sure to take advantage of it when you’re tasked to write in an academic capacity.

]]>Haunted Places in Indiana: Culbertson Mansionhttp://www.lizpurcell.com/haunted-places-in-indiana-culbertson-mansion/
Tue, 07 Aug 2018 22:08:24 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/haunted-places-in-indiana-culbertson-mansion/As a writer, I often tap into my local historical sites and since I’m all about the dark and creepy, I never pass up a good ghost story. One of my favorite places is the Culbertson Mansion of New Albany. The home was built in 1867 for William Culbertson, who was once the richest man […]

As a writer, I often tap into my local historical sites and since I’m all about the dark and creepy, I never pass up a good ghost story.

One of my favorite places is the Culbertson Mansion of New Albany. The home was built in 1867 for William Culbertson, who was once the richest man in Indiana. The home is three stories with hand painted ceilings and walls, carved rosewood staircase, marble fireplaces, and crystal chandeliers.

The mansion is open to the public for tours, and both visitors and curators have claimed to have seen a ghostly figure in the building. The legend is that the ghost of William Culbertson’s second wife haunts the house to protect her children from her husband’s third wife.

The rumors of the mansion being haunted spread and eventually the mansion’s carriage barn was turned into a haunted house during Halloween and people lined up to tour the building in hopes of seeing a ghost for themselves.

The following is a storyline for the current “Literally, A Haunted House” fundraiser, which raises the majority of the funds for the interior restoration of the mansion.

In 1933, it was sold to a Dr. Harold Webb, who moved in with his family. He set up a practice in the home and began to gain a number of patients. Over time, several patients went missing and his family began to notice strange noises and smells coming from the basement. In 1934, after a patient found the home locked at the time of their appointment and called the police, an investigation took place. Upon entering the home, the police found the entire family dead, each by torturous means of death. After further searching the home, the basement was found to have secret passageways where the doctor had kept the missing patients and performed gruesome experiments on them. After the cleanup, the building was locked up, but finally sold to the American Legion, who restored the building. When it was finally reopened, visitors noted unusual electrical problems, missing items, and other unexplained occurrences. The carriage house now serves as a haunted house during Halloween and the proceeds benefit the restoration and maintenance of the mansion of the estate.

So, how much of the story is true? William Culbertson was married three times, with his first two wives leaving him widowed. He willed the mansion to his third wife who auctioned off the house and its contents in 1899 to a New Albany resident, John McDonald. Upon his death, the American Legion obtained it and made extensive changes.

After several different owners, the mansion was in danger of being torn down in the 1960’s, but it was purchased in 1964 by the Historic New Albany group. The Halloween haunted house tours started in 1985 to raise restoration funds.

There is no mention of Harold Webb or the gruesome experiments, but that’s okay because it still makes for a good scary story.

]]>Personality Changes After A Heart Attackhttp://www.lizpurcell.com/personality-changes-after-a-heart-attack/
Sun, 05 Aug 2018 09:06:10 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/personality-changes-after-a-heart-attack/Sometimes people forget that a heart attack is a really major event. It can often be caused by heart disease, but also can be the result of surgery gone wrong or after a loss of blood, such as after an accident. Society as a whole is pretty ignorant about heart issues, even though heart problems […]

Sometimes people forget that a heart attack is a really major event. It can often be caused by heart disease, but also can be the result of surgery gone wrong or after a loss of blood, such as after an accident.

Society as a whole is pretty ignorant about heart issues, even though heart problems are the UKs biggest single killer; we all buy in to the myth that you have an attack, you convalesce, you return to work and life is just as peachy as it always was.

Well for some people that is undoubtedly the case, although the fact that part of the heart effectively dies as part of a heart attack, makes it unlikely that life will be quite so peachy as it was before.

However, many other people find that an attack actively transforms their lives; it could be for the better or it could be for the worse, but life can seem incredibly different.

Anxiety:

Many people who have experienced a heart attack will feel anxious, at least on some levels; it is natural. The person is scared that they will have another and that this one could be the BIG one, the final one. This is often accompanied by depression

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:

Around 34% of heart attack victims go on to develop at least some PTSD symptoms. That is over 1 in 3!

Worries:

Many people who have had a heart attack are worried about not just having another attack, but they can be worried about life in general. Will they be able to work or will they go back to work and find that it is too much? Will their love life be affected by the attack? Will their relationship survive? All these worries are on top of the anxiety, so there is an enormous amount of stress and worry going on.

Effects on Personality:

Given that people are under such an enormous amount of pressure, it is perfectly normal that the heart attack survivor’s personality is affected; in fact it is strange when it is not!

Impatience:

Many people relate that after a heart attack their loved one became impatient. It is almost as if the survivor feels that time is so precious that they have no time to waste on anything, so everything needs to be done immediately.

Bad Temper:

Impatience can also be so developed that it results in the person having a very short fuse. It can be hard for partners of heart attack survivors’ to accept that their former gentle partner is now a raging bull in terms of being incredibly bad tempered.

Unwillingness to Act

Sometimes partners of heart attack victims find that their partner has become very reluctant to ‘do’ things. They will not participate in work, exercise or do things that they should actually do to try and aid convalescence. This can be linked to depression and it can be a sense of ‘What is the point, I will die anyway?’

Fear of Social Activities:

Often someone who has had a heart attack will fear social activities simply because they are fearful that they will have another attack and that they will then be stared at or the centre of attention. Instead they avoid going out to social activities, which can result in social isolation.

Awareness:

If you know a loved one who has had a heart attack, then try to be aware of the fact that it can impact on their personality and can result in changes to their personality. You may need some patience as well, but awareness can help and the changes can often be temporary. So it is not your imagination; personality changes really can occur after a heart attack!

]]>Why Are Computers A Necessity Now?http://www.lizpurcell.com/why-are-computers-a-necessity-now/
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:02:26 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/why-are-computers-a-necessity-now/Computer systems now a days are everywhere. We can find that in places we cannot see or would not expect to find them. This gadget are no longer specialized tools used only by scientists or engineers like before. They are not kept behind sealed-glass walls under a climate-controlled environments anymore. They are a fact of […]

Computer systems now a days are everywhere. We can find that in places we cannot see or would not expect to find them. This gadget are no longer specialized tools used only by scientists or engineers like before. They are not kept behind sealed-glass walls under a climate-controlled environments anymore. They are a fact of life that companies cannot live without and even individuals like us. It is a common thread that ties together our education, work, and home life. Thus, computer literacy becomes significant, with computers touching nearly every facet of our lives. But why is it that computer literacy is very crucial?

Why do we need to spend time and energy studying books, enrolling to computer crash course, and becoming “computer literate?” Technically, to be “literate” means to have knowledge of that subject, wherein you understand its basic terms and concepts. We are not born with such knowledge and abilities, but it is hard to imagine living without computer skills today. Considering the fact that Computers are an essential part of business today, whether you are an auto mechanic or a surgeon, a journalist or a pilot. Like cars, that take us to work everyday, we also rely on computers more with each passing year. If there are still who do not use computers regularly, chances are great that you will soon.

But who will be the one to benefit from computer literacy? First, is the increased employability. Here, the basic computer knowledge along with specific job skills are mainly considered by the employers because a person would be more trainable in and adaptable to the computerized work environment. Next, is greater earnings potential, wherein, as you increase your computer skills, you become a more valuable worker, especially if focused on high-tech skills like programming, software/network administration, hardware maintenance and many more. However, it doesn’t follow that you must be a computer expert to increase your earnings. Skills that involve application of the computer to specific tasks are highly valued. Another benefit is that, it has a greater access to resources. Always bear in mind that computers are incredible learning tools, especially when you have access to data on CD-ROMs or the Internet. PC can be used to access vast knowledge bases on almost any topic, search archives of information dating back decades, even take online courses for credit.

You will have also a greater control of your assets, by using the power of the Internet and even a little knowledge only of computers, you can manage your personal finances and indulge your interests in ways that were not possible back years ago. Here, you can control of every dollar you earn through online banking and investing. Online shopping as also another benefit that makes it easier to buy something without tiring yourself & spending so much time going to stores with yourself. There are also new technologies that enables you to monitor your entire household via PC – to set your air conditioner or alarm clock, start your coffee maker or sprinklers, and even activate your alarm system. With this range of growth of computer technologies, we cannot deny that we now live in an information society – where information is considered to be an extremely valuable community. The key players in this information-based economy are those who control important information, or those who simply know how to access and uses it. Computer knowledge and skills you can build with that literacy are vital to success in this society, not just in our working lives, but in the ways we learn, manage our finances, and improve our standard of living.

Although there are still many professions that do not rely on computers, they are becoming fewer all the time. Remember that computers do not necessarily take the form of PC, so there is a good chance that your career path will bring you in contact with some type of computer because many of the tools in today’s’ workplace are computer technology. That’s why it is very important to have a basic understanding of computer technology. No matter what your career choice is, you can benefit from a knowledge of computer hardware and software, and how these components function together. Even your job does not require you to work directly with a computer, this knowledge may help you to envision new ways of using computers in your work, that would result in a more productive work environment. This can also lead you to career advancement opportunities. But still, if you think that this case is overstated, that computers are not being used that much, you should consider that computers are popping up in places & professions that my seem unlikely.

]]>Basic Elements of Technical Writinghttp://www.lizpurcell.com/basic-elements-of-technical-writing/
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 06:58:29 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/basic-elements-of-technical-writing/Technical writing is a specialised form of writing. Its goal is to help readers use a technology or to understand a process, product or concept. Often these processes, products or concepts are complex, but need to be expressed in a much simpler, reader-friendly form. So within the technical writing genre, you will find: technical reports, […]

Its goal is to help readers use a technology or to understand a process, product or concept. Often these processes, products or concepts are complex, but need to be expressed in a much simpler, reader-friendly form.

So within the technical writing genre, you will find: technical reports, installation and maintenance manuals, proposals, white papers, on-line help, process standards, work instructions and procedures.

While each discipline has its specific requirements, some basic elements are common. But before looking at those, the most important thing a technical writer must consider is the audience.

Audience:

How familiar are readers with the subject and with the specialised terms and abbreviations you need to use?

What is the best way to explain those terms or shortened forms – footnotes, endnotes, glossary, table of abbreviations, appendix, links?

Do you need to accommodate secondary readers (e.g. the manager or financier who will make the decision about the proposal), and how will you do that?

Now for those all-important elements:

Clarity – The logical flow of the document will help readers understand the content. It can be useful to ask someone who is not familiar with the topic to review your writing before you finalise it. Using headings, illustrations, graphs or tables can be useful – your aim is to make it as easy as possible for your readers to understand what you’ve written. Consider how the way the text sits on the page or screen – another clue to maximising clarity for your readers.

Accuracy – The information and the interpretation of data that you present must be accurate. If it’s not, your readers will question the credibility of the content. Be careful to clearly differentiate between fact and opinion, and to accurately cite references to other works.

Brevity – Strive to find the balance between the amount of information presented and the time needed to read the document. Remember that you can use an appendix or link to provide supplementary or background information. Consider using an illustration, table or graph rather than words to explain a concept – but remember, if you use a ‘visual’, don’t give a long written explanation.

Sentence length – Generally, complex or unfamiliar concepts are best presented in shorter sentences. This will give readers time to digest small pieces of information before moving on to the next. While this can be difficult to achieve, try to aim for approximately 25 words per sentence. If you find you’ve written a series of long sentences, look for ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘however’ and similar words where you can break the sentence.

Paragraphs – The age-old rule about one topic per paragraph is a useful guide. That doesn’t mean that you can have only one paragraph for each topic, but it does mean that having only one topic in each paragraph makes for clear, logical writing.

Reader-centricity – You are writing for your readers. Make it as easy as possible for them to understand your work.

Keep these basic elements and other principles in mind as you undertake your technical writing tasks.

]]>What Are the Characteristics of Successful Advertising Copy?http://www.lizpurcell.com/what-are-the-characteristics-of-successful-advertising-copy/
Sat, 28 Jul 2018 17:57:34 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/what-are-the-characteristics-of-successful-advertising-copy/Some time we work hard to create a product and launch it. But, we fail to achieve the expected result just because of improper advertising. The net result is low sales and loss. There are two things essential for the success of a product. First one is that your product should be good in quality […]

Some time we work hard to create a product and launch it. But, we fail to achieve the expected result just because of improper advertising. The net result is low sales and loss. There are two things essential for the success of a product. First one is that your product should be good in quality and the second one is it should be promoted through proper advertisement.

Make your advertisement unique

You will find two types same food produced by different companies in the supermarket. One advertises the product as a “best healthy drink for babies” and the other advertise as “low cost healthy drink for babies”. Here, you will not find much difference. Both the products look good on the basis of advertisement. Still, people choose the second option. This is where the advertisement works. When a product is available at low cost and branded as best, this will have more impact.

Analyze the problem

You must find out, why your quality product did not go well in the market. There is no deficiency in the quality of the product; still you could not get the sales target. Why? The problem may be in any area. It may in the advertising area, product launching area etc. So, when you rectify the areas where something is missing, you can catch hold of the profit earning tree.

Highlight your product as a valuable one

There are many numerous good qualities in your product. It should be properly highlighted. You can explain the cost, its quality, its durability, its effectiveness etc. So, when the customers understand the value of your product, they will start thinking that your product is worthy to buy. Giving offers will also help to boost the sales of your product.

Get the feedback from your customers

The main and final part of your advertising is the message you leave at the end of the advertisement. Ask them to buy your product and use it. Request them to contact you through e-mail or call over phone, if there is any problem in the product. You can offer guarantee for the product and build a brand name for your product. All these notes will create best impression on your product and your company. Finally, solve your customer’s problem at once. This strategy is required to build good relationship with the potential customers.

By implementing and following the above strategies, your product will get good sales target.

]]>Interdependence – How the Systems of the Human Body Perfectly Exemplify Ithttp://www.lizpurcell.com/interdependence-how-the-systems-of-the-human-body-perfectly-exemplify-it/
Thu, 26 Jul 2018 04:56:58 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/interdependence-how-the-systems-of-the-human-body-perfectly-exemplify-it/Interdependence means being dependent on each other. In effect, the human body consists of a number of interacting ‘systems’ which are the skeleton and the muscular, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Within these systems one also finds organs which work in unison. Skeleton The body depends on the skeleton’s […]

Interdependence means being dependent on each other. In effect, the human body consists of a number of interacting ‘systems’ which are the skeleton and the muscular, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, cardiovascular, respiratory, lymphatic, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Within these systems one also finds organs which work in unison.

Skeleton

The body depends on the skeleton’s rigid framework for support and the internal organs count on it for protection while the muscles use the skeleton for anchorage.

Muscles

There are three types of muscular movements: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.

Skeletal movement, initiated by the nervous system, is assured by the muscles attached to the skeleton. The digestive system, the bladder and blood vessels rely on the smooth muscle and the heart functions with the cardiac muscle.

The nervous system

The brain and the spinal cord which comprise the central nervous system (CNS) bank on sense organs (eyes, nose, and ears) to send them signals which they integrate.

Endocrine and circulatory systems

The endocrine system composed of glands (hypothalamus, pituitary, and thyroid), pancreas, kidney, ovaries (female only), testes (male only), adrenal, parathyroid, pineal body and brain secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system to be carried in the bloodstream towards appropriate tissues.

Cardiovascular system

The heart counts on the arteries through which it pumps out the blood in the blood vessels. The lungs supply the blood oxygen and the guts nutrients which the blood carries to all cells in the body.

The cardiovascular system also relies on the blood to remove waste products from the cells; then tissues and the kidneys excrete them as urine and the lungs as carbon dioxide. The heart bets on the veins to carry deoxygenated blood to it. (It is interesting to note that the whole circuit lasts only about one minute.)

Respiratory system

Human respiration turns to muscle reflex that makes the diaphragm and internal intercostal muscles to contract. As volume increases in the chest cavity, the air pressure inside it drops. Air then rushes in through the nose, down the trachea, and into the lungs, making the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide to take place.

Lymphatic and circulatory systems

Lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and its lymphoid organs (the spleen and the tonsils) remove excess fluid from the body’s tissues and return it to the circulatory system. (Note that this helps to fight infection.)

Digestive and urinary systems

The mouth is the beginning of the digestive tract. As one goes down, one finds the salivary glands, epiglottis, oesophagus, liver, stomach, gall-bladder, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, appendix, rectum, and the anus.

In the mouth one finds the teeth which take care of biting and chewing and the tongue which shapes food into a readily swallowed bolus.

The windpipe depends on the epiglottis, a flap of cartilage at the root of the tongue, to become depressed during swallowing and cover it.

Apart from the mouth, the digestive tract includes the oesophagus (which links the throat to the stomach), stomach, small and large intestines (the lower parts of the alimentary canal from the end of the stomach to the anus), rectum (the final excretory opening at the end of the alimentary canal).

Through a system of ducts, the digestive tract is connected to the salivary glands (which secrete liquid into the mouth to ensure lubrication, aid chewing and swallowing, and facilitate digestion), the gall bladder (which stores bile after it is secreted by the liver and before it is released into the intestine) and the pancreas (which provides bile and enzymes to aid digestion), and to the liver, which help to metabolize food products into a form that can be stored, for example, as fat and proteins. In the large intestine, undigested food is solidified into faeces which will be excreted via the anus.

Urinary system

The kidneys filter blood to form urine by which waste products will be excreted. Ureters carry the urine to the bladder which stores it for discharge. For this to happen, the bladder contracts, the bladder and urethral outlets (sphincters) relax, and the urine is expelled. (Note that a woman’s bladder is smaller and lower in the pelvis than a man’s, and her urethra is about one-fifth the length of a man’s.

Reproductive system

The reproductive organs produce sex cells (ova in the female’s ovaries, spermatozoa in the male’s testes), which ensure fertilization of an ovum through sexual intercourse. Then the uterus (womb) receives the ovum. (This provides a safe environment for the developing foetus during the 9-month gestation period.)

Lesson for humanity

We find that while each of the systems of the body and the various organs have specific roles to play in the body, they don’t work in isolation. When a system or organ finishes its work, it relies on the others to continue from where it left off. This also depends on others to carry on the work. This interdependence helps the body to work in perfect harmony and assure its survival.

Is there a lesson here for families, people, communities, nations, and continents to learn to cooperate with each other for the good of the world? Your answer is as good as mine.

]]>How to Summarize and Paraphrase For Academic Writinghttp://www.lizpurcell.com/how-to-summarize-and-paraphrase-for-academic-writing/
Mon, 23 Jul 2018 15:53:15 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/how-to-summarize-and-paraphrase-for-academic-writing/Do you know how to summarize your writing and paraphrase your content? In academic writing, summarizing and paraphrasing are very essential skills. With majority of college writing essays geared towards providing a point, you will very likely need to depend on a lot of source material to effectively argument your case. First, a bit of […]

Do you know how to summarize your writing and paraphrase your content? In academic writing, summarizing and paraphrasing are very essential skills. With majority of college writing essays geared towards providing a point, you will very likely need to depend on a lot of source material to effectively argument your case.

First, a bit of refresher:

Summarizing is all about reducing a material down to its most important points, often bringing it down to roughly a third or less of the original source.

Paraphrasing, on the other hand, is about restating a passage in your own words, often as an alternative to using a direct quotation.

In the case of your college essays, you will employ both techniques to integrate evidence from previous writing into your own work. If you're struggling to put together either type, the following advice might help.

Summarizing

Scan the text.

Locate and highlight the main points. A good first place to look for are the topic sentences on each paragraph.

Rewrite the material using the main points you found, setting aside evidence and examples.

Paraphrasing

Review the source text.

Rewrite it in your own words.

Use reporting verbs and phrases to show attribution.

Put unique and author-driven phrases in quotes.

Like other parts of your essays, summaries and paraphrases are best done with the help of a competent writing software. While the thoughts you will express in them are not original, the words you will be using are and they'll be best served with a dose of polish from such a tool.

]]>Writing Tip – Verbs of Utterancehttp://www.lizpurcell.com/writing-tip-verbs-of-utterance-2/
Sat, 21 Jul 2018 02:52:11 +0000http://www.lizpurcell.com/writing-tip-verbs-of-utterance-2/Josie shook her head, “It will never work.” “I can’t believe that actually worked,” Ben chuckled. Miss Gilmore woke them with a shout, “It’s time to get up!” “What the heck is a verb of utterance?” Maria asked. In the sentences above, the phrase “Maria asked” would often be referred to as a tag. The […]

In the sentences above, the phrase “Maria asked” would often be referred to as a tag. The phrases “Josie shook her head” and “Ben chuckled” might be referred to as tags, but they should also be referred to as wrong. More precisely, the phrases themselves are fine, but the punctuation setting off those phrases needs fixing. You may see the reason immediately, but such misunderstanding of verbs of utterance in dialogue is probably among the top three mistakes I see in work by new fiction writers–and often by established authors, too.

Sure, I’m talking (in most cases) about the difference between a comma and a period. If you squint you’ve fixed it. But how many times have I said that an aura of professionalism can be the difference, for agents and editors, between wanting to work with you and considering you an amateur? And this is one of those massively easy-to-fix commonplace writing mistakes that can, if peppered throughout a manuscript, scream “amateur.”

Dialogue tags in general should be used with caution; it’s painful to read a long passage of staccato dialogue between two characters in which every quotation mark is followed by “said” or “asked.” Try to use them only when necessary to make the speaker’s identity clear or when they serve a meaningful purpose, in which case “said” and “asked” should rarely appear, unless they’re followed by an adverb you cannot live without (I said emphatically).

When using tags, think as carefully about them as you do the words between the quotation marks. A lot of verbs shouldn’t be used as verbs of utterance, but that doesn’t mean you have a tiny selection to choose from. A character can shout, whisper, bellow, spit, or mutter a sentence… but they can’t chuckle a sentence. (See example two above.) Use that simple test if you’re unsure.

As always, gray areas exist. I say you can’t “chuckle” a sentence, but some perfectly fine writers might get all stubborn on me and insist you can. Another test is simply to look in your dictionary and see if the verb is transitive or intransitive (i.e., whether it takes a direct object or not). Webster’s says “chuckle” is intransitive, so I’m right. Ha ha. Then again, Webster’s says “giggle” can be transitive and, specifically, is a verb of utterance. Why can I giggle a sentence but not chuckle a sentence? No explanation.

But I’m talking mainly about more straightforward examples, such as the first and third ones above. Your character definitely can’t shake her head a sentence. And in the third example, “woke” is the verb and “shout” is a noun. Miss Gilmore didn’t wake her words, she woke people. Scan your manuscript and I guarantee you’ll change at least a few commas to periods, and you will then come across as a more polished, professional writer.

If you want to play around with the language and have your character chuckle a comment, go for it. The grammar police may or may not catch you. But always be aware of how you’re using tags–most writers are so focused on the dialogue itself that they get lazy after that end quote. Think before you ink (hey, I like that) and know why you’re putting that word and that punctuation on the page.